PowerShell Advanced Function Template

I have made this simple template to start a new PowerShell script file with a advanced function. It helps me to get the basics right from the beginning. Also it supports my effort to write all scripts with advanced functions.

The code for the template on a advanced function is on SQLAdmin GitHub (link).

PowerShell script documentation

To PowerShell is defined a syntax for comment-based help in scripts (about_Comment_Based_Help). And there are many more keywords than I have used above, but my personal PowerShell style is covered with these keyword. Feel free to create your own script template with our own personal selection of standard keywords.
Using only standard keywords ensure that your scripts can be presented in a central place with nice and useful documentation. And the presentation can be automatic updated without redundant documentation tasks.

Michael Sorens has on SimpleTalk posted a series of great posts about automatic documentation on a library of PowerShell scripts. The first post is called "How To Document Your PowerShell Library" where the basics are presented in a brilliant way.

Advanced function

If a script is evolving to become a central part of a process then you should elevate it by refactoring it to an advanced function.
The template above is for an advanced function, but not all possibilities are included.  The documentation on advanced functions (about_Functions_Advanced) and parameters on advanced functions (about_Functions_Advanced_Parameters).

A very important part of an advanced function is the CmdletBinding function attribute (about_Functions_CmdletBindingAttribute) that will make a function work like a compiled CmdLet. You can in most cases just use it blank and it will make a function work really nice as a CmdLet, but if you take some time to read and experiment you can create some awesome advanced functions. If you are looking into very large amounts of data you should take a look of the possibilities with CmdletBinding. More technical CmdletBinding is a PowerShell accelerator of the .NET class CmdletBindingAttribute that is a part of the namespace System.Management.Automation.

One thing that you will benefit from rather quick is the use of -Verbose or -Debug where it will by passed on through advanced functions. Then you will get ectended information not only from your own code but also from real CmdLets and .NET objects.

There are several articles that covers various facets of advanced functions ok, but my personal reference is, beside the documentation, the book „PowerShell In Depth“ (e.g. chapter 32) by Don Jones (@concentrateddon), Richard Siddaway (@RSiddaway) and Jeffery Hicks (@JeffHicks). Look for latest edition.

PowerShell script module

When you have refined the script, I think it is time to move the functionality to one or more PowerShell script modules. The general concepts about PowerShell modules are listed in the article „Windows PowerShell Module Concepts“ and short described in the MSDN article „Understanding a Windows PowerShell Module“. Right now I will focus on a script module as this text is about PowerShel scripting. There is a short and nice introduction in the MSDN article „How to Write a PowerShell Script Module“.

In the script template above I have indicated how to dynamically import a script module placed in a given path. If the script module is not signed and the PowerShell Execution Policy is somehow restricted – which it should be! – you can't import a module placed outside the local computer, e.g. on a file share through a UNC path.

PowerShell script modules are defined and stored in psm1-files, but looks a lot like plain script files. If you use the script template above for a script module the module import and the final lines with invokation should be removed. The invokation should be in the script file importing the script module.

There are several benefits of using PowerShell script modules. Many of them you will see when you start using them...
One thing that surprised me was the value of unit testing the script code.

Michael Sorens (again) has on SimpleTalk written the great article „Further Down the Rabbit Hole: PowerShell Modules and Encapsulation“ on PowerShell modules and the surroundings with some very valuable guidelines.

History

2017-03-15 : Blog post created on SQLAdmin blog.
2017-05-17 : Section about script documentation added. Inspired by comment from my old friend and colleague Jakob Bindslet.
2017-06-14 : Section about PowerShell script module added.
2017-07-04 : Section about PowerShell Advance function added.
2017-11-10 : Blog post text migrated from SQLAdmin blog and code to Github.
2024-02-03 : Blog post migrated (back) to SQLAdmin. Code migrated to SQLAdmin Github.